On the Cover

July-August 2005 Volume 93, Number 4

Vestiges of ancient Maya handiwork, such as this 7th-century ceramic
face, abound in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and Belize. From the
artifacts and ruins found there, archaeologists have learned a
considerable amount about Classic Maya culture. Yet the reason for the
collapse of this great civilization near the end of the first millennium
A.D. remains something of a mystery. ...